Curators

Belu-Simion Fainaru

Artist, curator and initiator of the Mediterranean Biennale born in 1959 in Romania, Belu-Simion Fainaru lives and works in Haifa, Israel and Antwerpen, Belgium. He holds a B.A. degree in Art and Philosophy from Haifa University and a M.F.A. in Art and Design fromUniversity of Chicago, USA. Further studies include Domus Academy, Milan, Italy and the Bruxelles Royal Academy of Art, Belgium.
Fainaru‘s works were exhibited at the 1992 Documenta in Kassel, the 1993 Venice Biennale, the Sonsbeek, Biennale in Holland and the 2006 Biennale in Havana, Cuba. Previous solo exhibitions include Israel Museum in Jerusalem, S.M.A.K. Museum in Ghent, M HKA in Antwerpen, Lehmbruck Museum in Germany and Saitama Museum in Japan. He is a guest lecturer at universities in Belgium and Japan, and has been teaching in the Department of Architecture at the Wizo Academy, Haifa, Israel since 1984. In 2008 he initiated the Mediterranean Biennale and since 2010 Belu-Simion Fainaru has been the artistic director and curator of the Mediterranean Biennale of Contemporary Art, Israel.

Avital Bar-Shay

Artist, designer, architect and initiator of the Mediterranean Biennale was born in 1966 in Israel. She lives and work in Israel. Bar-shay holds an B.Arch degree and B.A in Fine art.
Bar-shay exhibited in Israel and abroad, she has vast experience in Public space projects and works as a cultural entrepreneur over six years. She specializes in artistic activity in the periphery. In 2008 she initiated the Mediterranean Biennale and since 2010 Avital Bar-shay has been the curator and the art producer of the Mediterranean Biennale of Contemporary Art, Israel.